Aside from that I have no complaints 

After a night without sleep because Emmett kept having nightmares, I began my day way earlier than an human being should. When Lizze woke up about 8 am, I was sent to bed and slept about four hours. While I feel better, I'm still exhausted overall. Thankfully, there are no plans today that will require me to drive because I'm too tired to do that. I will say that I'm in a really good mood. Sure, I'm tired but aside from that, I have no complaints. ☺

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How #Depression impacts my life

Depression has been a constant companion of mine since I was a teenager. I've spoken very openly about this war I'm waging, and I'm going to try and provide you with some further insight. I've always referred to my struggles with Depression as a war because depression is a life long struggle, consisting of many battles. Some battles will be won, and others lost, just like any other war. It's important for me to share these battles because there's such a lack of understanding in regards to mental illness in general but more specifically, Depression. My hope is that my story will inspire others to share theirs as well. I've fought many battles against Depression over the years. There are times I feel like I'm gaining ground and others where I feel…

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#Autism Parenting Exhaustion 

I've been dragging a little bit lately. Honestly, I feel completely spent, like all the life has been drained from my body. My diet and exercise journey has suffered as a result. The problem is probably more complicated than this, but I'm very sleep deprived. Even when the boys are gone for the night, my sleep patterns are still messed up. Almost every single night, one or both of the boys have a problem in the sleep department that requires me to either wake up or not go to sleep yet. Some may read this post and hear only excuses for my lack of discipline. Others who live a life similar to mine will better understand where I'm coming from. It's difficult to function when you didn't sleep well the…

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What his stomach looks like after an IVIG infusion 

I wanted to take a minute and share a bit of insight into what Gavin experiences in regards to his IVIG Infusions. Gavin receives these medically necessary procedures twice a week and will do so for the rest of his life.  These infusions provide him with the immune system his body naturally lacks. Without these infusions, his body would not be able to fight off infections.  While these treatments are a blessing, they aren't  always pleasant.  The pictures below show what the infusion sites look like and it's incredibly unpleasant for him. Gavin has almost no body fat and so all the swelling is from the infusion 

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Quick Update 

We had to get both Gavin and Lizze's bloodwork done this morning. Everyone cooperated pretty well and I'm grateful for that. We also had to stop by the UPS Store on the way home. Elliott and Emmett were distracted by Pokémon Go during the hour or so we were gone. They actually had fun, which made everything much easier. Everyone is in a good mood this morning, at least for the most part. I'm hoping that good mood will continue when we get home because I have some small projects I'd like to work on today.

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When my kids have a great day at school

The boys had a great day at school today. That's not a huge surprise, but I never assume anything. I appreciate this ending to the week because we are heading into four day weekend and it's always a good thing to start those out on the right foot. Apparently, tomorrow is a teacher in-service day and then, of course; Monday is MLK Day. I'm super proud of the boys for giving the week their all and walking away with a smile. We don't have any plans for this weekend, but the boys are going to spend the night with their grandparents tomorrow night. That means we get a break. :-)

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Are #Autism Parents Overprotective? 

Being a parent period, is a difficult but rewarding task. When you're an Autism or Special Needs parent, that difficulty level is increased to the nth degree as is the reward factor. Raising a child with a developmental disorder like Autism, is extremely difficult because of the very nature of the disorder. Autism is a very dynamic condition and often presents in a very fluid manner. This means that everything involving the parenting of a child with Autism can more often than not be a moving target. In my personal experience with my three boys on the Autism Spectrum, something that works today, may never work again. Likewise, something that's never worked before, could actually work today. Every single day that I wake up, I honestly have no idea what…

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Why #Autism Parents sleep when they can

I slept for a couple of hours after dropping the boys off at school and feel so much better now. There were a million things I needed to get done this morning, but none of that was going to happen without at least some sleep. This morning's nap puts me at a total of only four hours of sleep but sometimes I get must less and so I'm grateful for what I can get when I can get it. Gavin and Lizze are both sleeping right now, and that gives me some time to myself to get some writing done. Writing helps me to clear my head, deal with my depression and also provide a better life for my family. In other words, it's very important to me. One of the…

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